1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to apparatus and method for treating a patient toward the end of reducing or eliminating pain or other condition that is related to atmospheric pressure and/or change in atmospheric pressure. The present invention relates also to a method for treating a patient who experiences pain or other condition due to atmospheric pressure or change in atmospheric pressure.
2. Background
Some people are able to sense a weather change in advance of the change, e.g., from a clear weather day to rainy or stormy weather. The sensation may be based on a pain in a body joint, a headache, etc.
Weather induced atmospheric pressure or pressure changes sometimes cause undesirable effects in people exposed to the atmospheric pressure. For example, sinus pain, headaches, pain in a body joint, or even a feeling of malaise may occur in some people in response to atmospheric pressure changes. Other types of pain that is suffered by people include spinal pain and radicular spine pain into an extremity or spinal nerve dermatome including but not limited to the trunk region; and these, two may occur in response to atmospheric pressure changes. The severity of such effect may be from relatively minor discomfort to substantial pain or illness.
Differential pressures have been used for structural support purposes, for example, in undersea structures and in large inflated domes or roofs of athletic fields.
Hyperbaric treatment of patients has been used to treat specific and sometimes undesirable conditions of a patient that may result from a rapid decompression, reduced blood oxygen content, and/or the reduction or elimination of swelling and/or ischemia. An example of such a condition may occur to a scuba diver who swims too quickly to the surface and encounters a condition sometimes referred to as “the bends.” Hyperbaric is defined as relating to, producing, operating, or occurring at pressures higher than the normal range of atmospheric pressures. Hyperbaric excludes normal atmospheric pressures which may fluctuate within a wide range of pressures.
A hyperbaric chamber for performing hyperbaric treatment may be a sealed compartment in which the patient may breathe normal air, or air enhanced to be up to about 100% oxygen, while exposed to controlled pressures such hyperbaric treatment equipment is expensive and requires careful control during use; and such equipment is not intended to address incidents due to typical ambient atmospheric pressure conditions and changes, for example about two to three times normal atmospheric pressure.
A standard pressure unit appropriately entitled “Atmosphere”, is a unit of pressure equal to the atmospheric pressure at sea level. One Atmosphere equals the amount of pressure that will support a column of mercury 760 millimeters high at 0 degrees Celsius under standard gravity, or 14.7 pounds per square inch (1.01325×105 pascals). An average pressure exerted by the atmosphere at sea level may be about one kilogram per square centimeter or 101.325 kPa. A pascal (Pa) is a pressure of one newton (the basic unit of force) per square meter. One pound per square inch equals 6.895 kPa and one of inch of mercury equals 3.386389 kPa. Sea-level pressures may be in a range of up to from about 109.70 and 110.50 kPa. Atmospheric pressure drops may occur at a fast rate relative to a rise in atmospheric pressure. A record high atmospheric pressure was measured at 32.01 inches of mercury at Agata in Russia's Siberian region on Dec. 31, 1968. Earth's lowest measured air pressure recorded at sea level was 25.63 inches measured in Supertyphoon Tip on Oct. 12, 1979.